Without responding to Gong Daoyang’s suggestion, Du Heng continued to look around and then gazed up into the distance.

"What are you looking for?"

"Gong, we’re missing someone. Yu just told me there were six people. But we only have these three here, plus the two he’s with—that’s only five. We’re still short one person."

Gong Daoyang followed Du Heng’s gaze and began to search as well, instructing others to look further ahead. Despite searching an area of almost fifty meters, there were still no traces.

The spot where the tricycle had tumbled down was a nearly vertical cliff, almost thirty meters high, with absolutely no footholds. In such terrain, it was even more improbable that someone tumbling down with the vehicle could have gotten snagged on anything.

The search proving fruitless, Gong Daoyang frowned and said, "Maybe your man got it wrong. After all, sitting in the tricycle’s carriage, no one could clearly see exactly how many people there were."

As Du Heng continued to scan the vast white expanse and the tracks left by the tumbling vehicle, he thought perhaps Gong Daoyang was right.

Just then, Yu Haiting called from above. Du Heng quickly asked, "Yu, how’s the situation up there? Have you rescued everyone?"

"Dean, of these two people here with me—a man and a woman—the man couldn’t be revived and died. The woman has multiple abrasions but no signs of internal injuries. Her thoughts are clear, she’s speaking coherently, and she’s now being transported down the mountain."

Hearing of another death, Du Heng’s spirits sank further. "What happened? Didn’t they both jump from the vehicle? How is it that one only has abrasions while the other is dead?"

Yu Haiting sighed. "The man was unlucky. When he jumped, he leaped towards the front of the vehicle. The tricycle rolled right then and crushed his chest. I was trying to save him the whole time, but it was no use. His chest was completely shattered. The other one, the woman, said she was sitting on the edge of the vehicle, not inside the carriage, and right at the back. She was thrown clear during the first roll."

Du Heng took a deep breath. "Yu, please confirm exactly how many people were in the vehicle when it overturned."

"Six." Yu Haiting’s tone was very firm. "I just asked the woman again. There were definitely six people: four men and two women."

Du Heng immediately glanced at Gong Daoyang, then said urgently into the phone, "Yu, we only have three people down here. Can you please confirm again if there were six people?"

"There were six. I even have their names here."

Any lingering hope that it was a mistake vanished. There was indeed another person. But where was he?

"Yu, the numbers don’t add up! Organize some people to search from up there. We’re still missing one person."

"Alright, I’ll organize a search party."

After hanging up, Du Heng looked at Gong Daoyang and said, "Gong..."

Gong Daoyang sighed helplessly, looked around again, and then said, "Expand the search area. Find him."

Du Heng turned to Wu Buwei. "Drop what you’re doing. We need to find that person."

It seemed that just as one problem settled, another arose.

Down in the gully, the situation was largely resolved, aside from transporting the victims out. The immediate rescue efforts were essentially over. Now, everyone once again began to look towards the distance, towards the heights above.

As everyone resumed the search, Gong Daoyang’s phone rang. He answered with a "Hello?" and then began to report the situation there.

At the same time, Du Heng’s phone rang again. It was An Chunhui.

"Director An." 𝑓𝑟𝑒𝘦𝓌𝑒𝑏𝑛𝑜𝘷𝑒𝘭.𝒸𝘰𝑚

"What’s the current situation on your end?"

"Four dead, one with minor injuries, and one... temporarily missing."

"Missing? How can someone go missing in a rollover accident?" An Chunhui’s tone was filled with disbelief.

Du Heng was also filled with doubt, but he could only continue, "According to the statement from the injured woman, there were indeed six people in the vehicle. However, we’ve only located five so far. We still haven’t found any trace of one person."

"I understand. Ensure the safety of the injured person and actively cooperate with other departments in the search."

"I understand, Director An."

"Alright, get back to it. Call me if there are any updates."

No sooner had An Chunhui hung up than Yu Haiting and his team appeared at the cliff edge above, crouching and peering down.

Du Heng glanced up and broke into a cold sweat. The ground at the edge, slick from the recent snow, was treacherous. And now they were all leaning out so far. If anyone slipped, they’d instantly become another casualty in the gully below.

Still holding his phone, he quickly dialed Yu Haiting again.

"Yu, tell everyone up there to move back from the edge! Safety first!"

As soon as Du Heng finished speaking, he heard Yu Haiting shouting on the other end. Then he saw the figures at the edge retreat one by one.

Once everyone above had moved back, Yu Haiting said, "Dean, we haven’t found the last person from up here. And we’ve just examined the crash site and the trajectory. The vehicle slid directly off the road to the edge of the field, then tumbled straight into the gully from there. The tricycle overturned too close to the edge. I reckon that apart from the two people sitting at the very back who were thrown out or jumped, anyone inside the carriage wouldn’t have had a chance to get out. You should search directly below; the person must be down there."

Directly below? But where exactly? Du Heng looked around, bewildered.

The doctors and nurses Du Heng had brought, along with the officers from the police station, had pushed their search forward nearly a hundred meters. Some had turned back to search the path they had come by, and a few had even climbed the slope on the opposite side of the gully. Forget a person; they hadn’t even spotted a shoe that might have been flung off.

"Yu, could you ask her again? There’s really no one else in the gully here."

"Dean, I confirmed it multiple times then. There’s no mistake."

Du Heng looked at the vast white slopes around him. On these white slopes, never mind a person, even a bird—as long as it wasn’t white—would be exceptionally conspicuous if it landed there now. But there really was nothing!

"Yu, look along the edges of the land to the left and right. Could they have been thrown off to the sides?"

"To the left is open farmland; we have a clear view. And in this gully to the right, there’s not a single trace. He must have gone down with the tricycle."

Du Heng’s mind went blank. Where was the person? A grown man, vanished just like that? Even if the tricycle had flung him out when it flipped, how far could he have been thrown?

They had searched a hundred meters in front and behind the crash site, the direction of the fall was clear, and they’d even climbed nearly twenty meters up the slope on the opposite side of the gully, but still, there was no sign of anyone.

Du Heng hung up. Gong Daoyang, who had been on the phone, walked back. It wasn’t clear what was said, but his expression had eased considerably.

Seeing no one else nearby, Du Heng said softly, "Gong, what now? There really is one person missing."

Gong Daoyang glanced around, then reached out and caught a snowflake as it drifted down. He watched it melt in his palm before looking up at the sky. Flakes were beginning to dance in the air, falling gently.

"It’s starting to snow again," Gong Daoyang muttered, then looked at Du Heng. "Let’s first organize some people to transport the bodies out. If the snow gets heavier later, it’ll be much harder to get out."

Du Heng also looked up at the sky. A snowflake landed right in his eye, chillingly cold.

This snow is really coming at the worst possible time, Du Heng thought, feeling extremely agitated. But at this moment, he had no choice but to follow Gong Daoyang’s advice and start moving the deceased.

The journey into the gully had taken five minutes; carrying the victims out took ten. Despite the short distance, everyone was drenched in sweat.

Just as they reached the gully entrance, ambulances from the Municipal First Hospital arrived, along with the fire department.

Gong Daoyang went to meet the fire department personnel, while Du Heng walked towards the Municipal First Hospital ambulance.

The person who arrived was an acquaintance of Du Heng’s—Dr. Deng, a physician from the Municipal First Hospital’s Emergency Department. She was the same physician who had conducted emergency training for the Health Clinic.

Seeing the three stretchers behind Du Heng, each completely covered by a sheet, Dr. Deng couldn’t help her expression from changing.

There was a fundamental difference between urban and rural traffic accidents.

In urban traffic accidents, minor collisions causing scrapes and bruises were most common. More severe injuries like broken bones were less frequent, and actual fatalities were even rarer.

But rural accidents were different, especially in mountainous regions like Jinzhou. If a vehicle overturned *inwards*—towards the mountainside—it might sustain damage, but the occupants were often largely unharmed. However, if it flipped *outwards*—off the road and down a slope—the consequences were usually the opposite of urban accidents. Fatalities were common, or at least severe trauma like multiple fractures. Minor injuries were, ironically, the least frequent outcome.

Dr. Deng, who was in charge of emergency services for the entire southern part of the district, knew this very well. The southern district was characterized by its many mountains and notoriously difficult roads.

"President Du, do you still need us?" Dr. Deng asked Du Heng softly.

Du Heng shook his head. "No need. They were already gone by the time we arrived."

"President Du, in that case, we’ll head back."

"Wait, could you take the bodies? We don’t have anywhere to put them."

Dr. Deng glanced back again. "It’s better if you handle them. Your police station is right here, which makes processing them more convenient for you. Besides, it’s not a very complicated matter. Once you’re done, just notify the families to come and collect them."

With a wave of her hand, Dr. Deng signaled her team. The three ambulances that had just arrived promptly turned around and sped off.

Du Heng had only asked casually. It would have been best if the Municipal First Hospital could take the bodies, but since they wouldn’t get involved, his own team would have to handle it.

But how to handle them? The Health Clinic has a mortuary, Du Heng recalled, at the very, very back of the old courtyard. But it hasn’t been used for a long, long time.

Du Heng glanced back. Although he still felt uneasy, he was now able to face the situation. After a moment’s thought, he called Cui Guanghaia, who was on duty at the Health Clinic, and instructed him to immediately organize staff to clean up the mortuary and get it operational.

Regardless of whether Cui Guanghaia on the other end was willing or not, Du Heng hung up as soon as he finished speaking. He then turned to Wu Buwei and said, "Load all the bodies into our ambulance. I’ve already notified Dean Ruoge. Drive the ambulance directly to the mortuary in the rear courtyard."